Lot Essay
It is very rare to find an imperially-marked porcelain ruyi scepter, as most ruyi are either unmarked or bear dedicatory or auspicious inscriptions. The present example seems to be unique, although the same decoration, with green and aubergine dragons reserved on a yellow ground, can be seen on a pair of Daoguang-marked dishes sold in these rooms, 20 March 2001, lot 284. See, also, an unmarked blue-glazed molded ruyi scepter, dated to the 19th century, which was included in the National Palace Museum exhibition, Auspicious Ju-I Scepters of China, Taipei, 1995, p. 142, no. 69.